Harpist Phillip King

I heard Phillip King before I actually saw him. 

He was beat boxing and playing the harp simultaneously on a sidewalk. 

Definitely a rare human being in the City of Angels.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

Phillip King, LA Angel.

LAPD Funeral Procession for Officer Cortijo

A funeral procession for fallen LAPD motorcycle officer Chris Cortijo.
Officer Cortijo, a 26 year veteran of LAPD, worked out of Valley Traffic and was a DUI specialist with over 3000 DUI arrest credited to him. He was also named Officer of the Year twice.
Officer Cortijo was killed while waiting for a traffic light by a vehicle driven by an alleged intoxicated driver, at Lankershim and Saticoy on April 5, 2014.
Hundreds of police motorcycles, from agencies all over the state, led the procession through downtown LA and up the Hollywood freeway to Forest Lawn.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Hollywood Freeway.

Front of the procession.

Riderless Bike and hearse.

Police motorcycles.

Murphy Ranch

Visited Murphy Ranch in the hills directly above Los Angeles today.
The ranch was originally built to be the home and new US capitol of nazi power for Adolph Hitler, if WW2 was won by nazi Germany.
US nazi sympathizers living in Hollywood built the ranch which had 22 bedrooms, a vegetable garden, diesel power plant, a giant water tank, and bomb shelter.
The ranch was raided by US federal authorities shortly after Pearl Harbor was bombed, the 50 residents were arrested.
Murphy Ranch was briefly turned in to a artist colony and once home to novelist Henry Miller.
Most of the abandoned ranch is rusting away and falling apart. The buildings are covered with graffiti and the grounds are littered with trash. The State Parks system has plans to bulldoze the remaining structures and make the area in to a picnic space.
April 20, 2014 also marks the 125 birthdate of Adolph Hitler.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Gates to the ranch.

Old Oak trees and the power station.

Rusting away.

Student film makers inside the power plant.

501 steps down to the ranch.

LA Weekly

Have this week's cover image of the LA Weekly.
The story, "Gimme Shelter," is written by the amazing Gendy Alimurung.

Photo by Ted Soqui/LAWeekly © 2014

Street Music

The hands and Guild guitar of musician Peter Demian on the Venice Beach boardwalk. You can see Peter play daily in front of the Sidewalk cafe on the boardwalk.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

Hands of time.

Blood Moon Over L.A.

The first of four "Blood Moons" that will be spread out over 6 month intervals, appeared over Los Angeles this evening.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

 

Red Moon, Spica, and Mars.

The Moon and Spica.

Venice Beach Character

Photographed this guy at the Venice Beach drum circle last Sunday. He was definitely marching to the beat of his own drummer.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

Sunset orange.

Shooting at LAPD West Traffic Division Building.

A Los Angeles Police Department officer was shot in the lobby of the West Traffic Division, which shares a building at the LAPD's Wilshire Station, and the suspect was also wounded.
The desk officer who was shot seven times and is expected to make a full recovery. The suspect was shot four times and is in critical condition at a local area hospital undergoing surgery.
The shooting was the second at the station in 11 months.
Two detectives were shot and slightly wounded in a ambush outside the station on June 25.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

LAPD officers in front of West Traffic Division's door.

LAPD officers in front of West Traffic Division's door.

Venice Blvd. shut down.

Venice Blvd. shut down.

LAPD officer with binoculars atop the West Traffic Building.

Omega Man on Wilshire Blvd.

Went out for a quick spin on my bicycle before the official opening of CicLAvia on Wilshire Blvd. Didn't see one soul for miles in the early morning hours, felt just like "The Omega Man."
It was actually really awesome to have the Blvd. all to myself for a bit.
Later in the day it was a bicycle traffic jamzilla from Fairfax to Grand.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Click image to see larger.

Click image to see larger.

Click image to see larger.

Click image to see larger.

Click image to see larger.

Click image to see larger.

LA Blue

A wonderful blue and cloudy day in Los Angeles.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

Click to see larger.

LA Cars

An awesome Chrysler Town & Country convertible, with TURBO and EFI.
Love the painted hub caps and simulated wood paneling.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

TURBO.

Memorial Service For LAPD Officer Nicholas Lee

Memorial services for LAPD Officer Nicholas Choung Lee were held today at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. Office Lee, who joined the force back in 1998, was killed in a traffic collision last Friday March 7, 2014.
Thousands of law enforcement officers from all over California and members of the public came out to honor officer Lee as he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

EOW.

California law enforcement.

The Lee family

LAPD motorcycle officers.

March Meet 2014

Crawling through the Top Fuel Wormhole, with apologies to my friend Cole Coonce.
Images form this year's March Meet held at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway.
Floppers, Fuelers, Nitro Altereds, and so much more all weekend long.


Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

"Smokey's Darkside"

"Pure Hell" Nitro Altered.

"Fighting Irish"

Fueler burnout.

Rubbin' is rancin'.

Finish line.

Leonard Knight RIP

Folk artist Leonard Knight, age 82, has died.

Knight's folk art and religious creation, called "Salvation Mountain," in the desert of Niland, CA. near the Salton Sea. 
Leonard Knight created the mountain in 1984 by stacking junk and local debris, then covering it with cement and thick paint. Knight now uses a hay adobe and covers it with household paint. The mountain now reaches 50 foot high by 150' wide. 
Salvation Mountain is dedicated to Knight's love for Jesus and God. Many Christian and religious passages can be seen written on and inside the mountain.

Click for here the LA Weekly slideshow about Salvation Mountain.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2014

Leonard Knight, artist.

Route 66

Spent this weekend shooting the "Mother Road," route 66 near the Barstow, CA area.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Route 66 in Barstow.

Andrea Pruett, owner of the Bagdad Cafe.

Cadillac hood ornament.

Old tire in the desert near Barstow.

Roy's Cafe in Amboy.

Western grave site.

Old abandoned truck.

Wagon wheel and Nash Metro in Barstow.

Marlboro Man Dead (Updated)

A former Marlboro man, Eric Lawson 72 years old, died of respiratory failure due to COPD brought on by cigarette smoking.
Lawson in one of several Marlboro men who have died from smoking related disease.
He became an anti-smoking crusader and continued smoking until he was diagnosed with COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Lawson began smoking at the age of 14.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2000

Marlboro man billboard skeleton. Circa 2000.

Marlboro man on Sunset Blvd. Circa 2000.